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When should I refer an employee to occupational health?

Updated: Apr 12, 2023

In our latest blog post, we reveal everything you need to know about occupational health management referrals


Management Referrals


At Insight Workplace Health we aim to transition the employee back into the workplace

as smoothly and seamlessly as possible following absence.


Purpose of Management Referrals


An employee may be referred to occupational health where there are concerns regarding

their physical or mental health, sickness absence rate, or where their health is perceived

as having an impact on their ability to attend or performance at work.


Referrals to Occupational Health Advisor (OHA)


An OH nurse assessment is appropriate as the first point of an OH intervention for

straightforward, non-complex cases. The OH nurse can meet the employee, gather the

relevant information, gain consent, arrange collateral medical evidence, liaise with the

employer, co-ordinate physiotherapy, counselling, or other treatment strategy, assist with

accident investigation, report to the customer and follow up with reviews.


For straightforward cases, the OH nurse can resolve most referrals without the need to

refer to the OH physician. Our nurses are HAVS Tier 3 qualified and are registered

with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and hold a certificate, diploma, or degree in

occupational health.


Referrals to Occupational Health Physician (OHP)


Our occupational health physicians provide a quality and timely service, returning reports

faster than the industry standard lead times, without compromising on quality and can easily return reports within the required period following consultation.

When to make a referral?


The referral process


The referral will arrive immediately at Insight and will be triaged by a senior nurse, the triage

involves appointing to the most suitable clinician and establishing the correct consultation format i.e. video, telephone, face to face.


Our operations team will then contact the employee to make the appointment. This appointment is booked onto our secure portal and the referring manager and the employee receive automatic confirmation. The employee receives reminder SMS messages prior to the appointment.


Following the appointment, the clinician writes the report in our portal and the referring manager and the employee receive a notification that the report is available. This usually happens on the same day the appointment has been undertaken.


You may wish to make a management referral for an employee for any of the following

reasons:

• Frequent or long term sickness absence

• Disability or underlying health condition affecting absence or work performance

• Employee request

• Difficulty returning to work following long term absence

• Worry that the employee has or is developing work related health problems or that their

health is being impacted by their role


Refer an employee


Are you concerned about one of your employees and would like to make a referral? You can do so here, alternatively you can call us on 01792 321010 to get the ball rolling today!

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